The inconspicuous effect of pandemia Covid-19 on the brain: consequences even for those who were not sick

That the latest scientific data show

A new study conducted by the specialists of the University of Nottingham and published at Nature Communications suggests that Covid-19 pandemia could accelerate the processes of brain aging even in people who have not suffered the virus itself.

Scientists indicate that stressful factors, such as prolonged social isolation, instability and changes in everyday life could imperceptibly, but significantly affect the neuropsychological state of the population.

Signs of accelerated aging of the brain

Analyzing an MRI brain of almost a thousand healthy participants in the British Biobank project, performed before and after the pandemic, the researchers used machine learning technologies to evaluate the biological age of the brain. This technique allows you to compare the condition of the brain with the real age of a person, determining the degree of its neurological “wear”. Earlier, the team has already developed an accurate assessment model based on more than 15,000 such scanning.

The results showed that In people who lived during the pandemic period, the brain showed signs of faster aging Compared to those whose data was obtained before it. This was especially noticeable among older people, men and representatives of socially vulnerable groups.

Even without infection – there is a change

It is noteworthy that the overgrown Covid-19 recorded a decrease in cognitive abilities such as the reaction rate and the ability to flexible thinking. However, structural Changes in the brain were also observed in those who did not infect the virus. Although the unfortunate did not show obvious cognitive problems, the signs of neurodegeneration were nevertheless recorded.

“I was especially struck by the fact that the brain began to grow old faster even among those who were not sick. This indicates a large-scale influence of the experience of life in the conditions of a pandemic-from isolation to anxiety before the future, ”said the leading researcher Dr. Ali-cut Mohammadi-Nedzhad.

Is there any hope for restoration

Despite the alarm conclusions, scientists emphasize that the identified changes can be reversible. “This once again proves that not only the disease affects the health of the brain, but also the environment in which we live. The pandemic was especially severely struck by vulnerable segments of the population. Perhaps negative effects can be softened – and this gives hope, ”says the professor of neuroizoalization of Dorothy Auer.

Professor Stamatios Sotiropoulos added that the data of the British bio -Bank is a unique opportunity to trace how global crises can be reflected on the human brain: “We were able to observe how large life shocks leave their mark on neurophysiology.”

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